THE SECRET PLACE
“He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1)

PART 2

SAFE AND SECURE IN THE ARMS OF JESUS

“The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.” (Psalm 9:9)

When you were a kid, did you ever have a tree house, a fort or a special place where you could hide from the world? Even if it was inside of an old refrigerator cardboard box, it was a good feeling to have a “secret” place where we could be alone. When we started getting older, we cherished the lock on our bedroom door and now as adults, we love the blessing of having a warm and cozy home that we can call our refuge. Many men have garages, basements, or buildings out back (man caves) where they tinker with projects, as just another form of security and privacy. However, there is another type of “hide away” and is the ultimate special place – it is found in the realm of the Spirit, a “strong tower” of protection that we can run into and be safe. Where is it? It is the place in our heart and soul where we fellowship with Jesus. It is a secret realm where we feel His presence, it is a personal sanctuary where we enjoy the quietness and sense His peace. A haven where we listen intently and adore Him for who He is. How important is it for you to pull away from the chaos and the distractions of this world, and spend time with Him?

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

To be surrounded by His presence is the highest blessing we can experience. It is by His grace and mercy that we can speak freely and honestly confess our failures. Through His unmeasured love we can receive His forgiveness and be refreshed with a new infilling of His Spirit everyday. Our minds can be cleared and our hearts can be cleansed before Him – if we take the time to be with Him. He longs to hold us and talk with us. He loves it when we take our eyes away from the confusion and distractions and focus on Him alone. It is in these precious moments, our attitudes are adjusted and our faith is renewed. It is in these humble times of tears and sorrow that my hope is reinforced and I am reminded of where my strength to “carry on” is coming from. I must spend quiet time with Him – it is not an option. I must leave the well-worn path and find His peaceful harbor. I must find that secret hideaway where I can be spiritually and emotionally healed and restored. To be “pure in heart” one must make contact with the refiner’s fire. It is in the time of reflection, meditation and repentance that we can present ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice. This is not religion – it is a personal relationship where holy intimacy is developed as we continually rest in His bosom. He must become everything to us – All that we are and all that we will ever be.

“The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” (Psalm 46:11)

God’s people who rest in Him can say with David the psalmist, “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us: then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us: then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul: then the proud waters had gone over our soul. Blessed be the Lord who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped, as a bird out of the snare of fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 124:2-8).

Joel saw an army of mighty men and said, “They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks” (Joel 2:7). Who was he talking about? He was seeing a vision of God’s last day disciples that have made up their minds to stand for truth even if it cost them everything. These are the overcomers that would not allow the pleasures and temptations of this age to soften them or cause them to compromise.

God’s people will not run in fear, because they know they are secure under the precious blood of the Lamb. We know that in spite of all the violence and wrath of men, the body of Christ on earth is growing stronger every day. While all that is temporal is being shaken, governments spinning out of control, and economies collapsing, the true remnant of Christ is solid and unmovable. The imposter church is a religious façade that is not genuine. Many of God’s true followers are hidden away in the secret places of service. The one’s that are learning about intercessory prayer and helping the poor are the remnant of souls in danger of persecution. These wise virgins can be found filling their lamps with oil as they prepare to meet their bridegroom. They have invested their time into His Word; they have responded to His instructions and know Him in the loving power of His resurrection. They surrender their heart and will, they love Him completely.

A missionary to Ireland in the fourth century named “Patrick” expressed the reality of Jesus as “God with us” in this beautiful expression:

CHRIST BE BESIDE ME – CHRIST BE BEFORE ME,
CHRIST BE BEHIND ME – KING OF MY HEART;
CHRIST BE WITHIN ME – CHRIST BE BELOW ME,
CHRIST BE ABOVE ME – NEVER TO PART.
CHRIST ON MY RIGHT HAND – CHRIST ON MY LEFT HAND,
CHRIST ALL AROUND ME – SHIELD IN THE STRIFE;
CHRIST IN MY SLEEPING – CHRIST IN MY SITTING,
CHRIST IN MY RISING – LIGHT OF MY LIFE.

“Father, may I allow Your Word to penetrate my conscience so that it transforms my attitude. I pray that my sin makes me nauseated and causes me to weep because I have disappointed and hurt you. May we not go back to the mud and the life of a swine. Break our hearts and give us a burden to pray for others. May my calloused heart be softened with a fresh revelation of your love. We paint the doorpost of our heart with your shed blood and we speak the promises of your covenant in faith knowing – that your love never fails. Purge me, refine me into your holy image. I love you, amen.”

THE SECRET PLACE
“He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1)

PART 1

TIMES OF REFRESHING

Quiet time with you Lord is the most joyful
You know my thoughts, as I listen for your voice
I want to know you, to see you and touch you
As I draw near, I am humbled and in awe of you

I believe that spending quiet fellowship with God is the ultimate fulfillment we can experience in this realm. Loving Him with all of our heart is the meaning and purpose of living and anything less than these visions of the divine is a failure and great disappointment. Our Father has given each of us the opportunity to live and He carefully planned for us a life of duty and honor. Our duty is to obey His voice and our honor is to love Him and serve Him with all of our heart. The question remains; who will live in the secret place of His presence? There are prophetic signs all around us and God’s Word is being fulfilled every day that is bringing clarity to the remnant of God’s people. In addition to the coming tribulation, there is coming a time of trials and persecution to those who proclaim to be the disciples of Jesus Christ. I would love to write about the future being laden with riches and world peace but I cannot with a conscience sugar coat a pile of mud and call it a chocolate cake. The hardships that I am referring to are the cruel opposition from the world toward those who will stand boldly for God’s truth. However, all is not lost! Just because the world hates Jesus and those who represent Him, does not mean that we will not experience victory. We remember the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace and we rejoice in the promise that no matter how difficult or severe our trial, Jesus will be with us. If we can learn to “abide” in the secret place , we will not be afraid because we are holding hands with the God of heaven and earth. In this light, you and God are a majority and will never fail! Fear is a result of doubt and not being confident of our “standing” with God. If we KNOW that we are “IN CHRIST”, we can walk in faith and confidence no matter what or who is against us. Staying under the shadow of His wings proves how much we trust Him and reveals our passion for our intimate communion with His heart. “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings shall you trust: His truth shall be your shield and buckler.” (Psalm 91:4)

Have you ever wondered about how the gifts, miracles and supernatural manifestations should be a normal way of life, but unfortunately, the super-natural power is only manifested at best on rare occasions. The churches have traditionally been thought of as the place of demonstration, but I believe God is trying to teach His people that His power is not reserved just for the corporate sanctuary. Many of the churches have forsaken the call to holiness and this has opened the door to the sin and worldly compromise, which in turn has prompted the Holy Spirit to exit through the back doors. Without the supernatural power of God demonstrating His miracles – there are no miracles! God will not push His way into man’s religious programs and man certainly has no power on his own to do a miracle. God’s people have been called to be “vessels” of honor and purity so that He can be poured out “through” them! It is easy to talk about God’s power, but who will live the holy and dedicated life in order to manifest His power? Selah.

The Lord knows His children and is calling His people to “walk” with Him as a lifestyle – and not just a club membership. Divine appointments are spiritual events that are pre-arranged by God to accomplish His will. It is true that sermons given to the corporate body can be edifying to those who hear it, but there are 166 more hours left in the week that Jesus desires to minister. I personally believe God has provided heavenly warehouses of spiritual armor and gifts and is waiting for his people to start using it, but there again it is much easier to talk about the battle than to actually enlist. There are many excuses that people use to not develop spiritually but in the end we will find disbelief and laziness. Most do not want to learn because they realize that knowledge results in responsibility. It is strange that people would go to all the trouble to attend an assembly on Sunday, to partake of the services, fellowship, activities and even give an offering but never allow the Word of God to influence them during the rest of the week. People who do not study daily are obviously not hungry for God’s revelation so if they are not seeking the daily truth and daily personal relationship with God then why are they visiting Him once a week? Because most people are convinced they can pat God on the head and keep Him satisfied with whatever they choose to offer Him. It is a deception to believe that everything will work out and be alright in the end. Reverential fear is the respect for His perfection to remember and reward without partiality or favoritism. The person who loses the discernment of God’s ability to be a perfect disciplinarian has chosen to enjoy the pleasures and false security of foolishness. “My flesh trembles for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments.” (Psalm 119:120)

If Christians prayed, fasted and studied during the week there would be many contributors to the traditional church meetings instead of a lecture and an audience. The problem is that most religiously minded people want to keep God in a house and under the control of service days and times. Walking in the Spirit “constantly” would point to man’s responsibility to live holy and in turn mean that God could be manifested anywhere at any time. It is much easier to “visit” God than invite Him to live with us! Selah. This is why religion is much more popular than being a disciple. Most people do not want to hear sermons that announce how Christianity was never designed to be a spectator sport and there are no benchwarmers – only player/coaches. They would much rather hear about how God wants to bless them with wealth and an easy life filled with pleasure. This humanistic spirit of religion has slowly influenced the masses and has gained many military victories with dousing the flames of Holy Ghost power with the waters of carnality. When the flesh is allowed to rule, it naturally begins to teach heresy that is designed to fulfill the flesh while denying the spirit. Our flesh hates anything to do with being crucified! It does not want to hear about it or talk about it or even entertain the thoughts of it. No doubt it is much easier and convenient to be spoon fed Bible stories like a little baby (sincere milk of the word) than to grow up and actually live a life of faith by seeking out your own salvation with fear and trembling. This is another example where organized religion can take the place of personal spiritual growth if there is not a willing heart that desires to become serious with living for God. We do not know someone intimately by listening to second hand history lessons and the conclusions of someone else’s level of theological understanding. You see, we cannot actually “know” an ancestor just through people telling us how they were and what they did. We can know about them but not really KNOW them. Knowing God is the same way, it is a real, living, PERSONAL journey filled with first hand experiences and the desire to privately hear God one on one. It is about extending our faith in prayer so that we can learn directly from the Holy Spirit and realize he is waiting to slowly reveal what is hidden to us individually. The secret place reveals who He is to us and who we are in Him!

It is true we are an important piece of the universal body of Christ but at the same time a complete unique creation that contains the fullness of the power of the universe. God “in us” gives us everything we need for the unlimited potential to be like Jesus, a spiritual powerhouse with no limits. We are equipped with a transformed mind, a temple that houses the presence of God, along with being a channel for boundless miracles and supernatural wonders. We have been given a small portion of freewill for the purpose of drawing near to God and resisting Satan. (Most events are predestined and even the enemy is used to accomplish God’s divine order of Holy blueprints. This personal worldview is the result of years of difficult searching). But the point is that we have been created with such spiritual versatility yet most do not even comprehend their mission. I know that fellowship is good and the fellow soldiers concept is a healthy, Holy truth but let us remember that God has used the eagle as an example of how a mature and confident representative should live. Like the eagle, a true follower of Christ lives and flies in the higher realm far above those who cannot see the forest for the trees. When everyone leaves the Lord and abandons us, we will stand strong and courageous because we know God personally. When you have seen and touched something or someone, no one can tell you that it was not a real experience. With wisdom, strength and excellent vision we will listen, obey and follow His voice and be filled with joy.